Eno’s What He’s Talking About

Yesterday’s blog (below) stimulated a flurry of mail, all on the same subject:

Michele (from New York ?) asked: “What is Eno powder?”

Kurma replied: “In a nutshell, ENO is a “fruit salt”. For those of you who do not know what a fruit salt is, it is a mix of Sodium Bicarbonate (46.4%), Citric Acid (43.6%), Sodium Carbonate (10%). GlaxoSmithKline makes this product.

Its effervescence-causing components (especially in the presence of the acidic yogurt) allows the batter of the dhokla to aerate. These air bubbles are fixed in the steaming process (in a similar way that the aeration from yeast works in baked bread) thus creating the lovely spongy texture of the Dhokla.

Eno is not as sensitive to food formations as straight Sodium Bicarbonate plus it does not have that aftertaste that Sodium Bicarbonate has. It is difficult to find in the US outside of Indian grocery stores. Available in UK and Australia in chemists and supermarkets.”

Michele rejoined: “Thanks Kurma – I’ll head over to E 28th St, where we have lots of Indian groceries, and see if I can find it.”